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Lucy Harrison was a 23-year-old woman from Warrington, Cheshire, who travelled to Texas with her boyfriend for a family visit. On 10 January 2025, shortly before she was due to return to the UK, Lucy was fatally shot at her father Kris Harrison’s home in Prosper, Texas. A British coroner later ruled that her death was an unlawful killing, while a US grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against her father.
The case has raised questions about what happened inside the Texas home that day and why the two investigations reached different outcomes. Lucy’s mother, Jane Coates, continues to call for the US authorities to look again at the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death.
Lucy was from Warrington and worked as a fashion buyer. She had travelled to the United States with her boyfriend, Sam Littler, to visit her father, who had moved to Texas.
The trip was supposed to end with Lucy and Sam returning home to the UK. Instead, on the day before their planned journey, Lucy died from a gunshot wound at her father’s home.
Reports from the inquest described Lucy as someone who had concerns about her father's gun ownership. Her boyfriend told Cheshire Coroner’s Court that she could become upset when the subject was discussed.
The inquest heard that Lucy and her father had a serious argument earlier that day. The disagreement reportedly involved Donald Trump and political issues.
Sam Littler told the court that Lucy became upset and went upstairs following the argument. Later, as the couple prepared to leave for the airport, Kris Harrison took Lucy into a bedroom.
About 15 seconds later, Sam heard a loud bang. He then went towards the room and found Lucy on the floor. Her father was also there and was described as being extremely distressed.
The exact circumstances surrounding the gun being fired became a central issue in the subsequent investigations.
Kris Harrison told police that he had been showing Lucy a Glock handgun when it discharged. His account was that the weapon went off unexpectedly.
However, evidence presented at the British inquest led Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish to reach a different conclusion.
The coroner found that Lucy had been unlawfully killed. She said that shooting Lucy in the chest while she was standing would have required the gun to have been pointed towards her and the trigger pulled. The coroner described Harrison’s actions as reckless.
The finding does not mean that the US authorities convicted Harrison. The legal position in the United States remained different.
A Collin County, Texas grand jury later decided that there was insufficient evidence to indict Kris Harrison in connection with Lucy’s death.
That decision meant there was no criminal prosecution against him in Texas over the shooting, despite the later findings of the Cheshire inquest.
This difference between the US investigation and the British inquest has become a major part of the family's continuing campaign.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that Lucy’s mother has been seeking greater scrutiny of the case and has called on British officials to raise the matter with US authorities. In August 2026, reports said Jane Coates was preparing to travel to the United States as part of efforts to have the investigation reconsidered.
Jane Coates has continued to speak publicly about her daughter's death and has questioned aspects of the original investigation.
In July and August 2026, reports said she wanted the UK government to draw attention to the British coroner's findings and encourage US authorities to review the case.
For Lucy's family, the central question remains why the circumstances surrounding her death produced such different conclusions on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
The British inquest has formally recorded Lucy's death as an unlawful killing, while the US grand jury did not return an indictment. Any decision to reopen or pursue a criminal investigation in Texas would remain a matter for US authorities.
Lucy travelled from the UK to Texas with her boyfriend. She was staying with her father when she was fatally shot on 10 January 2025. Her father said the shooting was accidental, while the British coroner later concluded that his actions amounted to unlawful killing. A US grand jury subsequently declined to bring charges.
More than a year after Lucy's death, her mother continues to seek answers.
